Rotary valves



March 4,' 1958" E. J. WENDELL ROTARY VALVES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Dec. 15. 1954 March 4, 1958 E. J. wl-:NDELL ROTARY VALVES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Dec. 13,4 1954 United States Patenti@ ROTARY VALVES Original application December 13, 1954, Serial No.

474,731. Divided and this application November 10, if

1955, Serial No. 546,191

9 Claims. (Cl. 251-96) This application is a division of my co-pending application Serial No. 474,781, tiled December 13, 1954.

The present invention relates to valves and more particularly to valves of the rotary type adapted for controlling the discharge of uids under relatively high pressures.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved means for locking a valve in its open, closed and intermediate positions;

Another object is to provide a valve control wherein a hand operated lever operates not only to open and close the valve but also to actuate an improved means for locking the valve in one or another of its alternative positions;

Still another object of the invention is to provide a locking means for valves of rotary type operatively associated with the valve stem and adapted to operate in the locking function in a manner excluding application of axial thrust on the stem.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a plan View of a valve embodying one form of S chamber 11 communicating with two ports 12 and 13,

one of which serves as an inlet for uid under pressure and the other'as a discharge outlet according to the direction of fluid iiow. In the present instances the two ports 12 and 13 are in axial alignment for straight through ilow but may be angularly disposed according to conditions of use.

The chamber 11 houses a rotary valve element 14 in the form of a truncated sphere arranged to rotate about a vertical axis deiined by a trunnion 15 journalled in a wall of the casing 10 and a stem 16 which is journalled in a cover plate 17 constituting an element of the casing and which has an integral collar 18 forming an extended bearing for the said stem. The cover plate 17 is attached to the body of casing 10 by studs 20 or other suitable fastening means. The valve stem 16 extends from the collar 1S for attachment of a valve-operating hand lever 21 which passes through a transverse hole in the stem 16. The stem hole and the mating portion 22 of the lever are cylindrical in this instance to permit turning of the lever 21 about its own axis relative to the stem for a purpose hereinafter described. As so assembled the lever 21 can be moved angularly about the axis of the stem for valve control and can also be turned about its own longitudinal axis. The lever 21 terminates at one end in a hand knob 23.

In order to lock the valve 14 in any position, to which it may have been adjusted in the chamber 11 by actuation cf the lever 21, a locking sleeve 24 is provided having ice a bore 25, which receives the valve stem 16, and having also diametrically opposite apertures for passage of the part 22 of the lever. The terminal end 26 of the lever projects beyond the outer face of the sleeve 24 and is threaded and a self-locking nut 27 is threaded upon the end 26 to secure the lever in the sleeve. The threaded end 26 of the lever also iinds mating threads 26a in the wall of the sleeve 24. A collar 28 is formed on the lever 21 to abut the opposite outer face of the said sleeve. The sleeve 24 also has a larger bored extension 30 which snugly embraces the collar 18. The sleeve has diametrically opposite slots 31 and 32, which parallel the axis of the stem 16 and which lie in a vertical plane intersecting the axis of the lever 21. The slot 31 extends the full axial length of and therefor splits the sleeve. The slot 32 extends continuously from the lower end of the sleeve to a line 33 near the top, so that a small section of metal 33a remains to hold the two halves of the sleeve together.

With the foregoing construction, if the lever 21 is turned clockwise, as viewed in Fig. 3 and assume a right hand screw thread at 26, 26a, the two halves of the sleeve 24 on opposite sides of the slots 31, 32 will be drawn together, with flexure along or in the area of the line 33. In this manner the sleeve will be brought into clamping relation with the collar 18 of the casing which will have the effect of anchoring the stern Siti (and valve 14) to the casing. lf the lever is then turned counterclockwise about its axis from the clamping position, the sleeve will be expanded and freed from the collar 18, and the valve will then be free for adjustment in the chamber 11 about the common axis of the stem 16 and trunnion 15 by manipulation of the lever 21. Obviously the device provides a means operative by manipulation of a single lever for adjusting the valve and for anchoring it securely in adjusted position.

For the purpose of limiting the angular movement of the valve, and to define the fully open and closed positions of the valve 14, a portion of the bottom of the sleeve 24 is cut away to form an arcuate slot 34 which in the assembly registers with a stop pin 35 upstanding from the cover 17.

As a means for effectively seating the spherical valve 14 and to preclude leakage or by-passing of the valve regardless of the magnitude of the pressure or the direction of flow, the casing about the inner end of port 13 is counterbored to receive an annular insert 36. This insert pro vides an annular seat 37 for the spherical surface of the valve 14. The seat 37 itself is formed by a resilient gasket 3S, in the form preferably of a plastic ring, set into the face of the insert. The ring 38, which may be of the shape shown, occupies a recess 33a of complementary form in the inner Vend of the insert; and in the present instance the insert is composed of two section 38b and 33o the meeting cylindrical faces of which intersect the recess 33a and which may be secured together after insertion of the formed ring by force-litting or other suitable means so as to positively confine the ring while leaving a suiiicient part projecting for pressure engagement with the cylindrical face of the valve element. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the diameter of the ring 38 is such that the ring completely embraces the bore 14a of the valve element when the latter is in the open position so as to seal o the said bore from the chamber 11 at the inner end of port 13.

The outer end of the insert 36 is provided with a circumterential groove 40 which forms with the confronting walls of the casing 11 a pocket for reception of a plastic ring 41. The ring 41 is preferably made of resilient substantially non-compressible material soft enough to flow under pressure for a purpose described below. The function of this ring is to seal and to prevent leakage through the joint between the insert 36 and the confronting walls of the casing and also to maintain the ring 41 resiliently in seating engagement with the spherical surface of value 14.

'ff-lheropeningand closing of the valve takes place by the manual-operation' of` che-lever't 2=1-asfpreviouslywdesoribed. With the valvein closed'position the knob 23 is turned to elamp'thersleeve 24 to the fixed collar `18 and to thereby `l-rotated to-lock--th'eivalve instheadjustedfpo'sitiong "-l: lnthemovement of-the valve betWeen'the-open'and `closed-positions the-seatingringr 38 is`A in Ycontinuous forcedfV eontact 'with theV4 spherical -vface of the yvalve I but -not neessarily throughoutvitsentireqcircnrnference.1l It #fvvill'beiapparent'thatgyith the sght'erical-v'a1veand annular va1veseat `of this valve structure it l*is important that the vwhen as" in the (present Y strueture .the valve isV -apable of "limited di'splacenlentaxially vofthe trunnion :and stem.

Idajmr Y t t 1. A'control valve, comprising a casingY havingl an inlet portvand an outlet port,1avalve in saidwcasingrfor controlling communication betweeni saidportsya ,stemv for said Yvalve iournalled inran'd projecting through the casing pvvall, arcollar on the casingL embrain'gtherstem,,said

stent` having a transversemhole in the projecting end i; thereof', ,Clamping members engaging! oppositeplsidesj of gs'aidgcollaran'd havingV apertures registering ,with the Vsaid "s tr'niiY l'wleglalnop=,1a tir 1eM lever. .traversins ,said ;steinrihle 'aperturesQ s and 4, said 2 lever v having threadedl ,engage- ,with one of. said A.clamping rnerribersla'ndV a shoulder ',en'gagingtheouter usurfaceof the other ofisaid members, ,Y .glgwhereby turningfo'f saidglever invo'ne direction abontits Y i Y Y own longitudinal axis .causesth'e members to;Y draw Y, to-

fg'etheinclamping engagement Withthesaidleacsing collar, .t and turning ofthe lever in'opbosite directionrelea'ses the i' clamping engagement.andlleavesvthe,valve'freefor'ad- Y justment .about4` the axis of rthe ,Qstemfrby swinging the 'Jever about the latter axis. Y Y 'f Agc'ontrol valve accorlcling,tor lairn .1, whereingsaidf i `zlamping. members areintegralparts'ofg-.a splitfsleeveembracing said stem and collar.

' Y i V3. vAcontrrolvalvejaccordingzto claim12inilniiing.,,rneans` of. the-lever-,about its axis. in the. val

-cY-meansis prslvided;betweenthevalyeibothnansimesleeve.Y

Y tl-valine?.l has afsphericl. Quterfurface, and iwhereinnthe gagernent with Vsaid spherical; surface.

6.; A-vrfeontrol :valve-,according to Y claiml5Vv ,whereinthe easing-Comprises Yan annular vsealing `.element in. seating', en

r Vg afgegaan?. r Y i si valve has-freedom for ---casingaaaialllyof;theetem.`

7. Valve lockingmechanism comprising the combination with a housing, a rotary valve therein and arvalve flCkh'e'l/aven:SAISPQSUT i lohpenhvave 5Y stem protruding from the housing, of an actuating handle t Althe knob 1123.5is'1-turnedgintheopposite direetiontorelease #the valve after Whichthe-leverzl may be operatedto open Y `r-thevalveWith-fthefvalve open; lthe knobr-23 is-againV extending transverselyvthrgugh and rotatably mounted in the'prjotrudingiyalv. st?.

Y movement of thehandle,fthelat-^ter having la threaded housinghaving" an-,arenaterportion concentric with` the g stem'axis land located-for engagement by;thelo yc.gingffshoe V K Y n 35 Vindifferent valve settingrdispositios 'of thefa'ctuating Y Mlocking means, as mj the ;pr es'en t 1ns tanc e,be such as to Y VVpreclude appliczatiorl Vtoggthe bValve of thrusts tending to Y Y f'displacejlie valve-withzrespect'tohthe' seat', particularly handle. Y

Stemprotrding'from thel'eusingrsfan actuafinahandle 20 A extending {ransveris'elyfofj andl rotatably mounted` iii the 'protrdngwllve Sfm means' for limiting. axial meyement of the; handle,-the'-latterhaving @threaded vportionK ad- Y jacent thevalvestemanda `locking shoe engaged with Y valvefs'ettin dispositions 0' ,9: Valt/ello kingim'eha Y f tion with a'khoiising, 'arotaryfvfalve thereinfand i f Y Y.

l 'Refie enc'gs'it in the hmited free `movement the i' 8. Valve locking mechanism comprising the combina- Ytion with a housing, a rotary valve thereinhand'anvalve 

